Grampian record player

[Techman]

Everyone (well, perhaps not everyone) likes to see a good 'basket-case' that's been really 'got-at'. This record player has just floated past me and it has several modifications and/or possible modifications - I'll let folks see if they can spot them and maybe even spot things I've not noticed yet. It's in a bad way, so I'm not sure if it will be restore or scrap - if scrap, then there's some parts that I have an immediate use for, so all's good one way or the other.

[Edward Huggins]

The mains TX might not be original, nor the speaker which looks far earlier than the 1956 build of this. The TX near to the speaker just does not look right either. This would sound good if repaired with its 3 valve single ended amp and a better speaker. Don't like that old TCC waxie either!

[AC/HL]

The amplifier doesn't look to be the original, different fixings. Not the original deck either.
Just leaves the case!

[Techman]

Thanks Edward.

Yes, you've spotted one of the 'definite' modifications. The mains transformer is an isolation transformer, as this would have originally been a 'live chassis' design, and it's somebodies attempt at trying to make it 'safer'. The transformer is only just held in place by a couple of un-matching wood screws and flaps about as the cabinet is turned over!

The speaker I had at first thought un-original, due to it being round rather than elliptical and only being held by two screws rather than four, but there's a purpose made and original 'cut-out' in the base to accommodate the overlapping edge of a round speaker. So this could be a 'possible' modification.

The output transformer is very large for a record player of this type, although this could be a sign of 'quality', so I'm not sure about that one at the moment.

There's one 'glaring' modification which I noticed straight away, as it's exactly what I did to an old 'plus-a-gram' back when I was a teenager - can you see what it is?

[Techman]

Ah Bill, I was also thinking the deck was a 'possible' modification, or, here's a clue - could it have had another deck fitted and then the original one fitted back later? That's a clue to the 'glaring' modification mentioned above!

[Techman]

I hadn't thought about the amplifier. I'll have to take a closer look at that. The smoothing can isn't held by anything other than its wiring, so although a replacement, it's an old replacement and could have been changed many years ago.

[ms660]

Out of interest:

https://reader.exacteditions.com/iss...?term=feedback

Lawrence.

[Techman]

Thanks Lawrence.

It's older than I thought at 1951.

I didn't expect it to be a 78 rpm only player originally. It must have been quite upsetting for the unfortunate people who bought this player brand new, as it would have been obsolete, probably within a few months, even?

The now obvious modification to the cabinet I had thought was to give the extra height for an 'autochanger' at some time with its tall centre spindle. however, it's probably to accommodate the higher pickup mounting of the Garrard 'TA' deck - I hadn't done any measurements to check if this were the case.

[Techman]

The deck motor runs with power applied, but there's no valve heaters so also no HT due to a cold rectifier. It looks like the heater supply is via that block paper oil filled capacitor and the dropper shown in the picture - actually the capacitor isn't oil filled as most of it has leaked out and gone all over the chassis and made a right old mess, it looks like it's been leaking for years. Unless this is more re-wiring bodgery, then it looks to be some sort of capacitor dropper arrangement, which I'm a bit surprised to find in a thing like this. The valve line up is UY41, UL41 and UAF42. The output transformer looks like a quality item with that 'cast' framework.

[Techman]

It is a capacitor dropper. I really can't understand why they used 810 ohms worth of dropper and then stuck an oil filled capacitor in series with it.

I clipped a shorting link across the capacitor and ran the unit up on a Variac until the valve heaters looked about the right brightness and the amp sprang into life. I then thought I'd better check the voltage across one of the valve heaters and it was just several volts below the 31 volts on the UY41, so that wasn't a bad guess setting by eye. Having set the Variac to give the exact heater voltage, I checked what the HT was and it was obviously low as would be expected, but this at least gave it a slow awakening. There was a buzz from the speaker with the volume set to 'full' and more buzz when touching the pickup input connection. The volume control pot was quite noisy, but a couple of shots of Sevisol soon sorted that. The amp is quiet with the volume control turned to minimum.

I decided that I would patch in another dropper in place of the leaking oily capacitor. Normally, I'd leave an old capacitor like that in place for historical reference and just bypass it, but it's likely to still have more oil to leak, so it had to go. I hacked a 500(ish)ohm section from an old TV dropper and patched it in with crock clip leads and this gave me near enough the correct heater voltages and current. The rectifier warms up quickly and takes the HT way over the working voltage of the smoothing can for a short while until the other valves start passing current to bring it down to about 230 volts. The pictures below show the stages of 'patching'. The intention is to fit a tag strip to mount this additional dropper section. It'll be a bit of a bodge, but it'll get it going and at least I now know that the important component parts work.

This player must have had a very short production run when you think about it, so must be quite rare. It was being marketed in the 'Gramophone magazine' in early 1951, and that valve type started use not long before that, so it can't have been in production much before then. By mid to late 1951, most, if not all radiograms etc., were being fitted with three speed record decks. However, It's been so modified and 'got-at' over the years, that it really doesn't have any significant historical interest. I therefore may still end up scrapping it for the many useful parts that it has. It's honestly worth far more in parts to me than it is as a complete unit, although I'm interested to see how it performs. Two of the four deck mountings are adrift, one was rattling around in the case, but one has gone altogether and they've all got at least one side of the sprung 'ears' that stop them pulling through the motor board, broken off. I have an immediate use for the pickup head and cartridge (if it works), also the isolation transformer is very useful. That's a particularly nice output transformer, particularly matching the UL41 valve, the valve also being a newer replacement.

The person who gave me this player from his loft clear out was bit surprised that I actually wanted it, and I think he was even slightly more surprised when I said I 'might' actually restore it, so we'll have to see how it goes. Whatever happens, at least its story and reference is now documented for posterity, but it is in very rough condition, although no woodworm. I should just make clear that the person who I got this player from was NOT responsible for any of the bodging that's been done to it, particularly the mounting of that transformer, which is dreadful. To be fair though, the cabinet height addition has been very professionally done, with perhaps the exception of the old catch screw holes being left unfilled when the catches were moved up onto the new woodwork, also the hinges at the rear, which have pulled away.

The panel indicator lamp shown in the last picture below is a neon and the wire to it goes nowhere, so I need to find out where it originally went and what series resistor it may or may not have needed.

[Edward Huggins]

You have been very patient with this. At least the Garrard deck from 1956/7 is worth saving. I have spent many years working on portables such as this, but have never seen one as bodged.